Daily News

Holyoke Community College Launches Women’s Leadership Training Program

HOLYOKE — Building on the success of its popular Women’s Leadership Luncheon Series, Holyoke Community College (HCC) is launching an eight-week training program for women who want to develop and enhance their leadership skills.

For convenience, the program, “Women Leaning Into Leadership 2021: Empowering Your Voice,” is being offered over Zoom in two separate, eight-week sessions. One meets on Wednesdays, Jan. 6 through Feb. 24, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., while the other meets on Thursdays, Jan. 7 through Feb. 25, from noon to 1:30 p.m.

The interactive workshops will be facilitated by Annie Shibata, owner of Growth Mindset Leadership and Communication Coaching. Enrollment is limited by design. In addition to weekly 90-minute group seminars, each participant can schedule a private, 30-minute session of personalized coaching with the instructor.

“One critical component that makes this training special is the one-to-one coaching that each participant receives,” said Michele Cabral, HCC executive director of Business, Corporate and Professional Development. “The small-group nature of the classes will allow plenty of weekly individual attention in addition to the private sessions. This is really a wonderful way for women to invest in themselves and their futures in a small, mentored group environment.”

During the program sessions, participants will learn to evaluate their communication skills and apply new communication techniques, practice the power of mindfulness, distinguish forms of influence and persuasion to create powerful messages, assess their leadership strengths, and create short- and long-term plans for career development.

Shibata was the featured presenter during the November session of HCC’s 2020 Women’s Leadership Luncheon Series.

“HCC started the Women’s Leadership Series with the goal of creating small-group discussions for women as they navigate their careers,” said Cabral. “The series meets monthly over Zoom at lunchtime as a way to offer networking and mentoring to women at all levels. The ‘Women Leaning Into Leadership’ course takes that concept to the next level.”

To register for the Wednesday program, visit hcc.edu/women-2021-1. To register for the Thursday program, visit hcc.edu/women-2021-2.